Local Farm Offers Unique Fun at Affordable Prices
WELTI – It was a typical lazy Saturday in the Sparks’ household. Lounging around with morning cartoons and trying to recover from the week’s events. On this particular Saturday, however, I got the urge to get outside, and spend some quality time as a family. It was the perfect weather to have a day out, and luckily I found the perfect place to spend our day.
A friend of mine had posted pictures of her son having the best time at a place called 4D Farms in Welti. I looked at their website and found that in addition to being close to our home, it was priced reasonably at $10 per person. There seemed to be a lot of fun activities for the kids, and I was ready to let them burn off some energy.
As the mother of a child with autism, I am always concerned about taking our son to places where there might be crowds or loud noises. With my son’s sensory issues, going to the fair or an amusement park can quickly turn into a disaster if he becomes overwhelmed. I decided to give this place a shot, and I could not have been happier that I did.
When we first pulled into the farm, I was pleased to find that the property was very spacious and open. All the activities were spaced out across the acreage, making it very easy to go from one activity to another without the issue of crowds. When I talked with Beth Daniel, who owns the farm with her husband, Rusty, she said that the laidback feeling of the farm is one of the great things about it, and how they are growing every year.
“It is a very laid back feel,” said Daniel. “We are adding new things every year. We added a lot of new things at the back of the property this year like the extra corn bin, the tube swings and a tire swing. We just want to add things that families will want to do every year, and make coming out a tradition.”
There was no shortage of things to do at the farm. We climbed hay bales, slid down a gigantic slide, jumped on an inflatable trampoline, picked pumpkins, rode on a cow train and were able to meet the farm animals. For my son, the highlight of the trip was his first pony ride. Our son has always had an affinity for animals, and horses are especially exciting to him. The girl running the pony rides was simply amazing with him. It was her patience and genuine excitement to help and be a part of the experience with him that made the moment perfect. The enthusiasm emanating from him the entire trip was pure magic. Every new discovery on the farm brought new thrills and laughter.
One of the most notable things about the farm is the staff. Everyone who worked at the farms had a smile on their face and was ready and willing to help. A family feel that Daniel said is the exact feeling she wants every group that comes to the farm to have.
“We consider every person that comes here a blessing,” said Daniel. “Whether it is crowded or not, we want to offer a great experience for everyone. We are just so thankful that it has become what it has. Word of mouth has been a huge benefit for us, and little by little it has grown. It is a lot of work, but it so rewarding at the same time.”
At the end of our trip, after buying a pony ride for $3, our two little pumpkins from the patch, and our general admission, all came out to approximately $40. That is a great price for a day of fun for a family of four, and for the memories made, it was worth much more than that.
For more information on this attraction, visit www.4dfamilyfarm.com.
Photo Credit: 4D Farms/Facebook
